Harry Heilmann
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harry Edwin Heilmann (August 3, 1894 – July 9, 1951) was an American baseball player of the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds from 1914 to 1933, and was known as one of the great hitters during his playing career. He played at first base and right field during most of his career.
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[edit] Professional playing career
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| Harry Heilmann is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame |
Born in San Francisco, California, Heilmann played at Portland and San Francisco of the Pacific Coast League, before joining the Detroit Tigers full time by 1916. When Ty Cobb became player-manager in 1921, Harry Heilmann's batting average increased 85 points under Cobb's instruction, from .309 the previous season, to .394. Heilmann's average topped all AL hitters that season, including Cobb's .389, winning the first of four batting titles. Nicknamed "Slug", he was an outstanding hitter, batting over .400 in 1923 and carrying a lifetime batting average of .342, which is currently ranked 12th all-time. He strung together twelve consecutive seasons of hitting at least .300, and was in the top ten in batting average ten times. Heilmann held the Major League record of 134 hits on the road in 1925 until Ichiro Suzuki passed it in 2004 with 145.
In July of 1916, Harry Heilmann became famous throughout Detroit for having saved a drowning woman in the Detroit River.
Heilmann was sold to the Cincinnati Reds of the National League toward the end of his career, and he became the first player to hit a home run in every major league park used during his career. Arthritis in his wrists, however, would force him to miss the entire 1931 season, and by 1932, he would retire. From 1934 to 1950, he worked as a play-by-play announcer during Tigers radio (and later television) broadcasts. During World War II, he traveled overseas as part of a baseball group entertaining troops.
Harry Heilmann died of lung cancer at age 56 in Southfield, Michigan. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952. In 1999, he ranked Number 54 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
[edit] Career statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | TB | SH | HBP |
| 2147 | 7787 | 1291 | 2660 | 542 | 151 | 183 | 1539 | 113 | 64 | 856 | 550 | .342 | .397 | .520 | 4053 | 277 | 40 |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
| Preceded by George Sisler |
American League Batting Champion 1921 |
Succeeded by George Sisler |
| Preceded by George Sisler |
American League Batting Champion 1923 |
Succeeded by Babe Ruth |
| Preceded by Babe Ruth |
American League Batting Champion 1925 |
Succeeded by Heinie Manush |
| Preceded by Heinie Manush |
American League Batting Champion 1927 |
Succeeded by Goose Goslin |
